Fork lift truck pallet

ABSTRACT

A fork lift truck pallet folded from blanks of board material and having identical top and bottom wall panels each with boxlike structures folded from opposite marginal edge portions. Wall members of the box-like structures normal to the top and bottom wall panels provide compressive strength, and resistance to lateral collapse is provided by spacing members of rectangular tube-like section disposed at right angles between the box-like structures. The spacing members also provide a measure of compressive strength.

United States Patent Childs 51 May2,1972

[54] FORK LIFT TRUCK PALLET [72] Inventor: Mark Glendower Hyde Childs, Corringham, Essex, England [73] Assignee: Lever Brothers Company, New York,

[22] Filed: Sept. 17, 1969 [21] Appl. No.: 858,834

[52] US. Cl ..l08/56, 108/51 [51] Int. Cl ..B65d 19/18 [58] Field of Search ..108/5 l-58 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,492,626 12/1949 Fletcher ..108/58 2,494,730 1/1950 Thursby .108/55 X 2,559,930 7/1951 Bolton et al. 108/57 2,728,545 12/1955 Hermitage ..l08/56 2,957,668 10/1960 Norghis et al ..108/56 3,000,603 9/1961 Hemann 108/56 3,026,015 3/1962 Severn ...l08/56 X 3,216,376 11/1965 Anderson et al.. ..l08/56 2,444,183 6/1948 Cahners 108/56 3,464,371 8/1969 Gifford 108/57 Primary Examiner-Bobby R. Gay

Assistant Examiner-Glenn O. F inch Attorney-Louis F. Kline, Jr., Melvin H. Kurtz and Edgar E. Ruff 57 ABSTRACT A fork lift truck pallet folded from blanks of board material and having identical top and bottom wall panels each with box-like structures folded from opposite marginal edge portions. Wall members of the box-like structures normal to the top and bottom wall panels provide compressive strength, and resistance to lateral collapse is provided by spacing members of rectangular tube-like section disposed at right angles between the box-like structures. The spacing members also provide a measure of compressive strength.

3 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures Patented May 2, 1972 3,659,534

INVENTOR Mark Glendower Hyde Childs BY HIS ATT RNEY FORK LIFT TRUCK PALLET This invention relates to a fork lift truck pallet made from board material such as cardboard, fibreboard, or the like.

The object of the present invention is to provide a pallet which is sufficiently cheap to produce as to be not intended for re-use or return but is disposable, and which is sufficiently rigid for general use.

According to the present invention a fork lift truck pallet formed from board material comprises top and bottom wall panels spaced apart by two box-like structures each having a side wall and a plurality of inner walls parallel with and spaced from the side wall, the two side walls forming opposing side walls of the pallet, and one or more spacing member of generally rectangular tube-like section extending at right angles to the side walls between the innermost of the inner walls, the top and bottom wall panels being secured to the box-like structures. The spaces between the inner walls form passages for the insertion of the forks of a fork lift truck.

This construction of pallet has a high degree of vertical compressive strength and the disposition of the box-like structure and the rectangular tube-like spacing members at right angles to one another imparts a high degree of resistance to lateral collapse.

The two box-like structures can be conveniently folded each from one of respectively opposite marginal edge portions of the top and bottom wall panels, each of the side walls being joined by a fold line to the top and bottom wall panel respectively. By forming the top and bottom wall panels integral with a box-like structure the number of component parts of the pallet is minimised and manufacture is further simplified in that the top and bottom wall panels can be folded identically.

The spacing member can comprise at least three wall members extending normal to the top and bottom wall panels, and interconnecting members foldably joined to the wall members to link the wall members together. The wall members provide additional compressive strength to the pallet.

The pallet can be formed from solid or corrugated fibreboard material.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which:

FIG. l is a perspective view of a pallet, and

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the construction of the pallet of FIG. 1.

The pallet comprises a top wall panel 1 and a bottom wall panel 2 both formed from double wall corrugated fibreboard material. From a marginal edge portion of the load bearing surface 1A of the top panel 1 is folded a box-like structure comprising a side wall 4 joined to the top panel along a fold line 3 and three inner walls 5, 6, and 7, the inner wall 7 lying alongside the side wall 4 and the walls 4 to 7 inclusive being interconnected by members 8, 9 and 10 joined by fold lines to the side wall and the inner walls and lying adjacent the top or bottom panels. The opposite marginal edge portion of the load bearing surface 2A of the bottom panel 2 is likewise folded along a fold line 11 to form a side wall 4a, inner walls 5a, 6a and 7a and interconnecting members 8a, 9a and 10a. As can be seen more clearly from FIG. 2 the top and bottom panels 1 and 2 are folded identically, their relative positions being reversed to form a pallet.

Extending the full distance between the innermost internal walls 5 and 5a are two spacing members 12, 12a each formed by folding from blanks of double wall corrugated fibreboard material. Each of the members are folded into a generally rectangular tube-like section having three wall members l3, l4 and 15 arranged normal to the plane of the top and bottom panel and interconnected by members 16, 17, 18, the spacing members each having two rectangular passages separated by the wall 14 which is of double thickness material.

In the completed pallet the top and bottom panels are secured to the inner walls by metal stitches or staples 16 attaching the top and bottom panels to the panels 8, 8a, 9 and 9a of the box-like structures thus providing a rigid assembly. The passages in the box-like structures provide for the entry of the forks of a fork lift truck in two directions during handling.

By way of example a pallet was constructed as shown in the accompanying drawings having a top panel 44 inches square. The depth of the pallet was 3% inches and the material used was double wall corrugated fibreboard having a thickness of five-sixteenths inch. The pallet was capable of supporting a load in excess of 2 tons.

What is claimed is:

1. A fork lift truck pallet folded from board material comprising a top panel and a bottom panel each of the top and bottom panels comprising a unitary structure having a load bearing surface, a first section disposed at a right angle to the load bearing surface forming an exterior side wall of the pallet, a second section disposed at a right angle to said first section and parallel and intermediate the plane of said top and bottom load bearing surfaces and at least one other section disposed at right angles to said second section and parallel to said first section forming an interior side wall of the pallet; and, at least one spacing member of generally rectangular tube-like section positioned intermediate the load bearing surfaces of the top and bottom panels at right angles to the side walls and between the two innermost interior side walls of the pallet.

2. A fork lift truck pallet folded from board material com prising a top panel and a bottom panel, each of the top and bottom panels comprising a unitary structure having a load bearing surface, a first section disposed at a right angle to the load bearing surface forming an exterior side wall of the pallet, a second section disposed at a right angle to said first section and parallel and intermediate the planes of said top and bottom load bearing surfaces, a third section disposed at a right angle to the second section, parallel to the first section and intermediate the exterior side walls of the pallet, forming an interior side wall of the pallet, at least one other section disposed parallel to the second section and intermediate the planes of said second section and said load bearing surface and at least one other section disposed parallel to the first and third sections and forming a further interior side wall of the pallet; and, at least one spacing member of generally rectangular tube-like section positioned intermediate the load bearing surfaces of the top and bottom panels at right angles to the side walls and between the two innermost interior side walls of the pallet.

3. A pallet according to claim 2 in which the spacing member comprises at least three wall members extending at right angles to the top and bottom load bearing surfaces and interconnecting members joined by fold lines to the wall members to link the wall members together. 

1. A fork lift truck pallet folded from board material comprising a top panel and a bottom panel each of the top and bottom panels comprising a unitary structure having a load bearing surface, a first section disposed at a right angle to the load bearing surface forming an exterior side wall of the pallet, a second section disposed at a right angle to said first section and parallel and intermediate the plane of said top and bottom load bearing surfaces and at least one other section disposed at right angles to said second section and parallel to said first section forming an interior side wall of the pallet; and, at least one spacing member of generally rectangular tube-like section positioned intermediate the load bearing surfaces of the top and bottom panels at right angles to the side walls and between the two innermost interior side walls of the pallet.
 2. A fork lift truck pallet folded from board material comprising a top panel and a bottom panel, each of the top and bottom panels comprising a unitary structure having a load bearing surface, a first section disposed at a right angle to the load bearing surface forming an exterior side wall of the pallet, a second section disposed at a right angle to said first section and parallel and intermediate the planes of said top and bottom load bearing surfaces, a third section disposed at a right angle to the second section, parallel to the first section and intermediate the exterior side walls of the pallet, forming an interior side wall of the pallet, at least one other section disposed parallel to the second section and intermediate the planes of said second section and said load bearing surface and at least one other section disposed parallel to the first and third sections and forming a further interior side wall of the pallet; and, at least one spacing member of generally rectangular tube-like section positioned intermediate the load bearing surfaces of the top and bottom panels at right angles to the side walls and between the two innermost interior Ide walls of the pallet.
 3. A pallet according to claim 2 in which the spacing member comprises at least three wall members extending at right angles to the top and bottom load bearing surfaces and interconnecting members joined by fold lines to the wall members to link the wall members together. 